Very unconventional on all fronts, Meats & Bread is my kind of diner, my kind of food...I came here for the opening and am back to taste more of Riad's unique creations... Found on Gemmayze's main road it will take you on a journey to the States and back. Serving heavily loaded sandwiches and smoked meat like the country has never seen before... Give it a try!

Pan de Maize: imagine a big round black plate on which a cake decorates the center, topped with a mix of colors and shapes. Pan de maize, or corn bread is Riad's signature corn cake topped with pulled pork meat and served with chunks of white cheese on the side - which provide the necessary freshness to balance the dish. Pico de gallo for the juiciness and sweetness, full bodied white bulgary cheese and a decoration of crushed corn crumbles. Other than all the rich and flavorful ingredients, enjoy the cake and its pleasant sweetness - it's unique. I don't remember having something like this in Lebanon before.

Flapping Wings: if wings are made to be served in a carton plate one on top of the other, Meats & Bread has broken the rule! Six wings, flame grilled to perfection and tossed in the house barbecue sauce, set one behind the other in a straight line and decorated with scallion, ginger, and greens. Mango adds a touch of yellow! Forget about your manners, jump in with your hands and enjoy Riad's gourmet wings... I'm a fan!

Sausage - homemade by the team behind Meats & Bread: a very tasty sausage with a thick skin and a juicy heart, an explosion of spices and flavors served in a bun like a lobster roll. A very soft bun, lightly buttery, soft like a sponge - on which lays the sausage. A poached quail egg, fish roe, truffle mayo, ginger scallion and Piccadilly sour buttermilk. It's much more than a simple sausage, it's a sandwich of happiness.

Sexy hen! Indeed sexy, a sandwich where calories should not be counted, with square bread designed in a special manner embraced with the house made ghee, a lot of butter, oregano, Alabama white sauce, finely sliced mango and house coleslaw. The chicken is carefully marinated in Lebanese wild thyme. However people have eaten chicken before... this one is different to all that came before it.

Fire flamed napa salad: I expected a salad like any mixed vegetables served in a bowl, but this one is different. A round plate has a napa lettuce flame grilled to perfection, crunchy hazelnut, romesco, acidic apple cider bribe, botanical herbs and a sauce that looks like Muhammara. It's an occidental take on our local speciality - it looks red and has a strong and enjoyable spiciness with a light sweetness.